Passing Through Traps Or Other Transitions; Cleaning The Drain; Working The Blockage; Handling A Stuck Tool/Cable End - RIDGID K-5208 Manual Del Usario

K-5208 Drain Cleaning Machine
c. Insert the female end of a cable section into front of
machine (Figure 7). Push the cable through ma-
chine and guide hose until approximately one foot
(0.3 m) remains out the front of the machine. Do not
load more than one section of cable at a time. Cable
section must be completely removed from the cable
carrier before operating machine.
d. Securely couple cable sections together (Figure 8)
and insert any excess cable into machine. Resume
operation, repeating steps 4-6.
Passing Through Traps Or Other
Transitions
If it is hard to get the cable through a trap or other fitting,
the following methods or combination of methods can be
used.
a. Sharp downward thrusts on the cable, both with and
without the cable rotating, can help the cable through
a trap.
b. With the clutch lever handle released, rotating the
cable by hand can change the orientation of the cut-
ter to allow it to more easily negotiate the fitting.
c. Run the drain cleaner in REV rotation for several
seconds while pushing down on the cable. Only do
this long enough to get the cable started through the
trap. Running the cable in reverse can damage the
cable.
If these options do not work, consider using a smaller
diameter or more flexible cable, or a different RIDGID
drain cleaner.

Cleaning The Drain

Always keep at least one hand on the cable. Pay attention
how the cable feels in your hand and watch the cable ro-
tation.
As you feed the cable into the drain, you may feel and see
the cable slow down and start to load or wind up (this may
feel like the cable is starting to twist or squirm). See Figure
13. This may be a transition in the drain line (trap, elbow,
etc.), build up in the drain (grease, etc.), or the actual
blockage. Feed the cable slowly and carefully. Do not let
cable build up outside drain. This can cause the cable to
twist, kink or break.
Pay attention to the amount of cable that has been fed into
the drain. The number of sections of cable in use gives an
indication of total cable length. Feeding cable into a larger
drain line or similar transition may cause the cable to kink
or knot and prevent removal from the drain. Minimize the
amount of cable fed into the transition to prevent problems.
Cable is not attached inside the machine. When ap-
12
proaching end of cable section, keep hand securely on the
cable to avoid losing it down the drain.
UNLOADED
Drain
Machine
Figure 13 – Cable Shape When Unloaded, Loaded

Working The Blockage

If the end of cable stops turning, it is no longer cleaning the
drain. If the cable end becomes lodged in the blockage
and power is maintained to the drain cleaner, the cable will
start to wind up or buildup outside the drain. Having a
hand on the cable allows you to feel this wind up (this may
feel like the cable is starting to twist or squirm) and control
the cable. As you feel the cable wind up or if the cable end
stops turning, immediately release the clutch lever handle
and pull back on cable to free the cable end from block-
age. Do not keep the cable rotating if the cable end is
stuck in a blockage. If the cable end stops turning and the
clutch is engaged, the cable can twist, kink or break.
Once the cable end is free of the blockage and the cable
end is turning again, you can slowly feed the rotating
cable end back into the blockage. Let the spinning cable
end "dwell" in the blockage to completely break it up. Do
not try to force the cable end through the blockage. Work
the cable end in this manner until it has moved com-
pletely past the blockage (or blockages), and the drain is
flowing.
While working the blockage, the cable end may become
clogged with debris and cuttings from the blockage. This
can prevent further progress. The cable needs to be re-
trieved from the drain and the debris removed. See sec-
tion on "Retrieving the Cable".
If the cable end continues to get hung up in the blockage,
a different tool may be needed.

Handling A Stuck Tool/Cable End

If the cable end stops turning and the cable cannot be
pulled back from the blockage, release the clutch lever
handle. Maintain a firm grip on the cable. The cable may
turn backwards until the energy stored in the cable is
LOADED
999-995-137.10_REV. B